Genesis 43:1-10

1Now the famine was severe in the land.

2And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little food."

3But Judah said to him, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'

4If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

5But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"

6Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?"

7They replied, "The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"

8And Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.

9I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

10If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice."